Language, Culture, and Pedagogy: A Response to a Call for Action

Abstract

This paper describes a collaborative project between Tsuut’ina Education and St. Mary’s University, Faculty of Education. The project addresses the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s (TRC) (2015) Calls to Action in reference to language and culture. Our work with the Gunaha instructors of Tsuut’ina Education was carried out with the intent that the collaboration would benefit not only Tsuut’ina Education students but also the Tsuut’ina community. For carrying out our work with Tsuut’ina Education, we identified the following four principles as relevant to our collaboration: The research (a) is relevant to community needs and priorities and increases positive outcomes; (b) provides opportunities for co-creation; (c) honors traditional knowledge and knowledge holders and engage existing knowledge and knowledge keepers; and (d) builds respectful relationships (Riddell, Salamanca, Pepler, Cardinal, & McIvor, 2017). Finally, we discuss three implications from our partnership: reciprocal relationships, shared expertise, and respect for worldviews. Our collaboration with Tsuut’ina Education offered us an opportunity to embrace an alternate way of knowing and to appreciate the responsibility that we have to listen and learn from others.Keywords: language and culture; collaboration; partnership; reciprocal relationships; shared expertise; respect for worldviews